300 



HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



tints of the Atlas Moth ; but they are so beautifully blended, the 

 plumage is of so downy a softness, and the expanse of wing is so 

 great, that the Atlas holds its own even amid the more vividly- 

 colored lepidoptera of its own country. 



Oiketicus and Atlas Moth. 



There are many members of this genus scattered over the dif- 

 ferent parts of the earth, the finest and largest specimens being 

 found between the tropics. In all the species tho antennae of the 

 males are remarkable for their beauty, being deeply feathered, 

 and shaped something like a spear^head with a triangular blade, 

 and in many examples there is a loose, membranous, talc-like 

 spot in the middle of the wing. 



The cocoons of the Atlas Moth are made of silken thread, 

 much like that of the common silkworm, the cocoon being large 

 in proportion to the size of the moth, and the quantity of silk is 



